Friday, March 28, 2014

It's been awhile since I came here, and it's been too long since I wrote. I've been letting my NYL blog quietly retire. Pause. I know I just dropped a big word there, the one that dooms the near ending. But life is about endings and beginnings, and everything has its own cycle. I feel, I know that NYL is nearing its end...

Anyway, when something stirs in me, I have to release it, and I run back here.Today, Friday in New York city (as in many other places I suspect), I've heard this phrase too many times to ignore it any longer. It seems that today, Friday, has become somewhat of a holiday based on all the "Happy Fridays" flying out almost everyone's mouth at work and around me. I admit "Happy Friday" is nothing new, but did I ever hear it so many times before?! It seemed more festive today than usual.

Anyway, it got me thinking. From time to time, my thoughts drift back to this "illusionary holiday", and it's had a considerate evolution over time. I must say it made sense when I was in school, as it seemed like I had no choice but to attend it. However, as soon as I left parents' house (around 19), and started supporting myself completely, I could never quite grasp the meaning of a "Happy Friday".I don't exclude the fact, that working on Friday nights for a year while in college had to do something with it. But it's a mere moment of my life.Ok, as any professional New Yorker, I had my 60 (sometimes 80) hour weeks. Now, however, Friday is officially my last day of work. The reason I am sharing all this information with you is because I want to show that I've been on both sides of the table. And still I've always been deeply disturbed by the "Happy Friday".

Why? Well doesn't it seem somewhat pathetic? It's as if we haven't lived for the first 5 days of the week, and only Saturday and Sunday hold salvation. Only during those 2 days can we finally enjoy our lives.Too discriminating to Mon-Fri, and too much pressure on Sat-Sun, if you ask me.

But seriously, isn't it too much of our time that we are just getting through? 5 days out of 7 is 71% of our time. Why are we spending 71% of our time in such a way that all we have is to look forward to the remaining 29%? And it's all over again, week after week, and so on.

If it's true that we can't wait to get through the week, living from the weekend to the weekend, why not find ways to change it?Is it our complacency that won't let us break this destructive cycle? "Happy Friday" people are not particularly miserable, but they are not happy either. It's as if they are serving time. Isn't life more than that? If you don't think you're living your life while at work, why not change it? Why not look for your path, pursue your passions? It could be as simple as building relationships with colleagues and finding meaning in any work. Work in itself could have a meaning.

I don't want to be hard on those who love their Fridays, I myself get caught up in this trap sometimes (though rarely), but I do want to make them think. Make them wonder. When I started noticing that Friday seemed more exciting to me than other days, it made me think, What can I change? How can I make every day count? How can I live my life Monday through Sunday, no day wasted?